Up-close and personal with an artist: Interview with visual artist Herminigildo Pineda

Monday, August 22, 2011

I ALWAYS thought that artists are cast from the same mold, but then this impression was broken when I met Herminigildo C. Pineda.

Sir Hermi, as we popularly call him, is a visual artist-sculptor, painter, and art lecturer. But other than these seemingly related adjectives, he is also a teacher.

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My vivid memory of him was in a class way back in college. Our subject with him was lodged in between nose-bleeding subjects of Cinematography and Literary Criticism. He handles Art Appreciation and immature as we were then, it took time for us to appreciate mix media art. But since the subject challenged the intellectuals in us, we began to encounter for the first time and define for ourselves the concept of art.

"Out of nothing you see something. Man needs to understand the life within and those things that contain us. From the inner life comes the perfection," Hermi said, half-musing when asked about his inspiration.

He believes that an artist should not just fit his conventions.

"Art is life. An artist influences our society in color, space, texture, form and value in order to make life more meaningful," he said, stressing that man’s entire senses respond to goodness.

Sir Hermi balances between his current stints at the Alaya Chamber of Arts, which, along with other contemporary artists, created for themselves an organization for the propagation of their art.

A deviant artist, his art is characterized by mix media that runs from philosophical themes and concepts. His peculiar style managed to bag for him selected awards and recognitions like the 2nd prize in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 1995 National Art Competition, 1st prize 1996 Diwa ng Sining Awards Terra Cotta Sculptures, National Commission for Cultures and the Arts, Hon. Mention 1999 Metrobank Young Annuals Painters, Fourth Time Philippine Art Awards, Philip Morris Group of Company and Award of Excellence at the Shell National Student Art Competition.

He was also the Philippine representative to the Osaka 7th Triennial Art competition in Osaka, Japan and received the prestigious award that a full-blooded Kapampangan could ever have in 1998 when he was conferred Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awardee for Arts and Cultures in the field of painting.

His works have found their way into the collections of Ambassador Umberto Colesanti of Italy, Congesswoman Zenaida Ducut, Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, Jun Pangan and Roy David. Some of his commissioned works could be viewed in public at the Municipality of Porac and DENR.

Those interested to see his art may visit the Alaya Chamber of Arts at the Wow Philippines Hilaga (formerly Paskuhan Village). Since his art may be summed as "unconventional", he also tackles issues on environment and social concerns to intellectual discourses through his art.

An artist may always choose to be conventional, but Sir Hermi begs to disagree. While most collectors look for the most conventional art on the market, despite the odds, Sir Hermi's works are surely for keeps.

*****

The author is accepting comments, suggestions, love notes, indignant rebuttals, hate mail, invites and what-have-you: e-mail:ianocampoflora@yahoo.com (0917-343-5197).